Hi there.
What a wonderful board. Thank you to the team who developed it and to the people who sponsor it.
Just taking the time to introduce myself. I am a 41 year old male who has been fit and healthy all my life. In fact, until recently, I had been a police officer here in Sydney, so I considered myself quite fit.
That all changed about 10 weeks ago. I found myself in the ER and Intensive Care unit of my local hospital after suffering a number of seizures. My wife tells me the first one happened around 6am whilst she was getting ready for work. As I start work later than her, I was still in bed.
She was in the kitchen having breakfast when she heard me moaning so she rushed in to the bedroom to find me with the top half of my body on the side table and the bottom half on the bed. (This has caused me to crack 5 vertebrae.) I was convulsing and all the usual stuff. My wife phoned an ambulance and I was rushed to the hospital after suffering a 2nd seizure in the ambulance. I then had a further 2 seizures that day whilst in ER. I have since been told that had I suffered 1 more seizure, they would have placed me in an induced coma to give my brain time to rest.
Anyway, I was in hospital for a week and had all the tests and scans. All results were fine. Nothing found to be wrong. I have since been placed on a regime of 1500mg Keppra twice per day, 200mg Tegretol twice per day, along with high doses of vitamin B1, Folic Acid, and Multivitamins. (As an aside, I would love to hear feedback regarding this dosage of medication and how it compares to other peoples dosage).
I had my first appt with my Neuro last week and he has reduced my Keppra dose to 1000mg twice per day.
This is the part where the massive guilt comes in to play, especially on a forum such as this where people are here because of things out of their control. My seizures were caused by abuse of the sleeping tab Stilnox. (Ambien in most parts of the world.)
I took them for too long and too often. I was taking them during the day as an anti-anxiety med, then more at night to sleep. After one 24 hour period without any, this is what happened. To top it off, our daughter was in bed with me when it happened. I will never rid myself of the guilt associated with what I caused to happen in front of my daughter. My wife and I had tried for over 10 years to have a child before being told that we were unable to. We then spent another 4 years completing the adoption process before finally adopting a beautiful little girl from China.
I then go and have a 'self induced' and 'stupidity induced' seizure in bed with her which caused her no end of fear. The 4 Neuro's who treated me all said seperately, that had my wife not have found me after my first seizure, I would not have survived the following 3.
I have not gone back to any medication besides my prescription meds, as I have such a hatred for them, for what I allowed them to do to me. In time, I feel I can get over my extreme stupidity and my failure to be a responsible husband, but I do feel that I shall never accept or get over what I have done to, and in front of, my daughter.
Sorry for the long intro, but I actually feel a little better for typing this and getting it off my chest. I am sure some of you will judge my character as a result of my pathetic behaviour. I am not after sympathy by any means. I am simply here to gain knowledge about seizures and Epilepsy and the medications used to treat them.
Nice to finally meet you all.
Scott.
What a wonderful board. Thank you to the team who developed it and to the people who sponsor it.
Just taking the time to introduce myself. I am a 41 year old male who has been fit and healthy all my life. In fact, until recently, I had been a police officer here in Sydney, so I considered myself quite fit.
That all changed about 10 weeks ago. I found myself in the ER and Intensive Care unit of my local hospital after suffering a number of seizures. My wife tells me the first one happened around 6am whilst she was getting ready for work. As I start work later than her, I was still in bed.
She was in the kitchen having breakfast when she heard me moaning so she rushed in to the bedroom to find me with the top half of my body on the side table and the bottom half on the bed. (This has caused me to crack 5 vertebrae.) I was convulsing and all the usual stuff. My wife phoned an ambulance and I was rushed to the hospital after suffering a 2nd seizure in the ambulance. I then had a further 2 seizures that day whilst in ER. I have since been told that had I suffered 1 more seizure, they would have placed me in an induced coma to give my brain time to rest.
Anyway, I was in hospital for a week and had all the tests and scans. All results were fine. Nothing found to be wrong. I have since been placed on a regime of 1500mg Keppra twice per day, 200mg Tegretol twice per day, along with high doses of vitamin B1, Folic Acid, and Multivitamins. (As an aside, I would love to hear feedback regarding this dosage of medication and how it compares to other peoples dosage).
I had my first appt with my Neuro last week and he has reduced my Keppra dose to 1000mg twice per day.
This is the part where the massive guilt comes in to play, especially on a forum such as this where people are here because of things out of their control. My seizures were caused by abuse of the sleeping tab Stilnox. (Ambien in most parts of the world.)
I took them for too long and too often. I was taking them during the day as an anti-anxiety med, then more at night to sleep. After one 24 hour period without any, this is what happened. To top it off, our daughter was in bed with me when it happened. I will never rid myself of the guilt associated with what I caused to happen in front of my daughter. My wife and I had tried for over 10 years to have a child before being told that we were unable to. We then spent another 4 years completing the adoption process before finally adopting a beautiful little girl from China.
I then go and have a 'self induced' and 'stupidity induced' seizure in bed with her which caused her no end of fear. The 4 Neuro's who treated me all said seperately, that had my wife not have found me after my first seizure, I would not have survived the following 3.
I have not gone back to any medication besides my prescription meds, as I have such a hatred for them, for what I allowed them to do to me. In time, I feel I can get over my extreme stupidity and my failure to be a responsible husband, but I do feel that I shall never accept or get over what I have done to, and in front of, my daughter.
Sorry for the long intro, but I actually feel a little better for typing this and getting it off my chest. I am sure some of you will judge my character as a result of my pathetic behaviour. I am not after sympathy by any means. I am simply here to gain knowledge about seizures and Epilepsy and the medications used to treat them.
Nice to finally meet you all.
Scott.